Vegan Persimmon Parfait

by Mary on January 4, 2012

Check out the impressive neon hue of this Hachiya persimmon pulp:

Hachiya persimmon pulp in a measuring cup

Hachiya persimmon pulp

I’d intended to make persimmon pie, but the brilliant orange convinced me to use the fruit fresh to preserve its color. Here’s the pulp after blending it:

Hachiya persimmon pulp, blended, shown in a small glass dish

blended Hachiya persimmon pulp

Next I made a stovetop gelled dessert with almond milk, sweetening it with a smidgen of maple syrup and thickening it with agar and kuzu instead of gelatin to keep the recipe vegetarian. I kept the recipe simple to let the delicate flavor of the persimmon to come through. I layered the almond milk with the fresh persimmon pulp in the glass and let it set for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

The final result:

finished persimmon parfait shown in a parfait glass

persimmon parfait

And the recipe:

Gelled Persimmon Parfait (vegan, non dairy)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
An easy, impressive-looking dessert. The prep and cook times are easier than they look since I included the time to soak the agar flakes and the time for the dessert to gel.
Author:
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2¼ c. sweetened almond milk, Trader Joe's or another brand. Trader Joe's has some thickeners in it like xanthan gum which may help thicken the dessert. (2 cups on the stovetop, 2 Tbs. to dissolve the kuzu)
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 2 Tbs. maple syrup
  • 2 c. persimmon pulp from completely soft and ripe Hachiya persimmons, about 2 large persimmons (1/2 cup used in pudding, 1½ cups used separately)
  • 2 Tbs. agar agar flakes
  • 1 Tbs. kuzu
Instructions
  1. Put almond milk and agar flakes in cooking pot, let sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Remove top from persimmon, cut in half, remove any tough or whitish area in the center.
  3. Blend persimmon pulp in blender.
  4. Put persimmon pulp in small bowl.
  5. Heat almond milk/agar mixture on stove, simmer and stir for at least 5 minutes.
  6. Add vanilla and maple syrup, add more to taste. The almond milk I used has sugar as an ingredient already so little sweetening was needed. Your almond milk may have more or less sweetener or vanilla.
  7. Pour the almond milk/agar flake mixture in the blender, divided if necessary to avoid overfilling blender with hot liquid.
  8. Place top firmly on blender, blend.
  9. Return almond milk/agar mixture to pot and simmer for a few more minutes to completely dissolve agar.
  10. Prepare kuzu by stirring and mashing it with a fork in a small bowl with a small amount (around 2 Tbs.) of cool almond milk until dissolved.
  11. Add dissolved kuzu/almond milk mixture to pot.
  12. Stir for a few minutes until the kuzu begins to thicken the almond milk.
  13. Add ½ cup persimmon pulp and whisk together.
  14. Layer remaining persimmon pulp and almond milk mixture in parfait glasses.
  15. Let set in refrigerator for at least one hour.

 

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